DARK SIDE
by Electric-Bluejay
Summary: After the ninja enter Chen's Tournament of Elements, it's all fun and games until something strange happens to Kai. Suddenly everything goes wrong and it seems like Jay might not last through the month. Join Kai, Cole, Zane, and the others as they struggle to find the antidote for the unforgivable venom in Jay's body.
1. Chapter 1: Clouded Judgment

Author's Note: DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN EPISODES 35-44! Also, this is a bit bloody and creepy, so... Yeah. Anyways, I'm winging this one (that's a Bat-pun) and hoping it turns out all right. I have no idea where I'm going with this story. It's kind of a weird time frame. Cole and Jay aren't sore at each other anymore, but Cole is still in the tournament. Instead of Cole losing, Lloyd did. Plus, only Kai knows that Skylor is working for Chen. And Zane is still missing, so I'm kinda just making up stuff. So just bear with me, and don't come at me for messing anything up XD But anyway, this was based on Kai turning awesomely evil in the newest episodes of Ninjago. **SonicandWarriorsfan1** (on DeviantART) gave me the idea of writing something like this. Many thanks. Mwehehehee... Read on if you dare...

 **DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 1:**  
 **CLOUDED JUDGEMENT**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

 _Kai turned around with the jade blade in his hand. His lips turned up in a grin, but the smile never reached his empty red eyes. The sinister smirk sent shivers down Jay's back. The ninja of lightning stared into his friend's cold expression, wishing he could disappear like Shade._

"YOU STARTED THE WHOLE THING," the red ninja growled in a voice that wasn't his own. It sounded hollow and raspy. He pointed the blade at his target, ready to strike.

Jay backed up a pace. "K-Kai... This isn't you!"

Kai laughed with no sign of humor and drove the blade closer to Jay's rapidly beating heart.

"Oh, but it is. I'm just a bit..." He dug his weapon into Jay's chest, causing the blue ninja to stumble backwards with a cry of anguish.

"...different."

 **10 minutes earlier...**

"Hey Kai, I heard that Master Chen is going to call a meeting in a few minutes. You want to get to the arena early with us?"

Cole and Jay stood outside their friend's door, shuffling their feet on the ground as they waited for their friend to answer.

Jay sniffed, "Are you sure he's even in there? It's not as if he wants to stay in his room all day."

Cole cocked an eyebrow. "Well, do you have a better plan?"

The auburn-haired ninja shrugged, looking at the floor. "...No."

"I didn't think so. Let's wait a few more minutes. If he doesn't answer by then, we'll go without him. He can figure out there's a meeting along with the others."

The pair of ninja waited a few more minutes, knocking on the door once more, before walking to the arena.

"Hey by the way, where's Sensei Garmadon?" Jay asked, tilting his head to one side. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

Cole shrugged. "I haven't seen him either. He's probably trying to find something to sleep on. I heard that he has been having to sleep on the ground."

Jay scowled. "I can't believe those jerks had the nerve to refuse to give him a room!"

"Yeah well, he wasn't even supposed to be coming to the island anywa-"

"I know," Jay interrupted. "But it's still really unfair! They could have given him Lloyd's room..."

At the mention of Lloyd's name, they both grew somber. The green ninja had been defeated by Skylor, who had stolen his power. Lloyd Garmadon had been caught unaware and defeated.

Cole punched his fist into his other hand. "But they won't defeat US that easily," he growled.

Jay nodded eagerly, and they turned their attention back to finding their way to the arena.

 **Meanwhile** , Kai was brooding in his room. He had heard his friends knocking on his door, but he was too upset to talk to them.

He closed his hands into fists and drove them into his mattress with an angry yowl, in an attempt to get rid of all his bottled up anger.

He kicked his nearby trash can as hard as he could. It smacked into the wall with a satisfying clang. The red ninja turned from the wall and surveyed the wreckage before him. He had been kicking things around all morning.

Kai turned to the mirror on the wall, ready to smash it to bits. He pulled back his arm to give it a stinging blow, but suddenly...

He frowned and looked closer into the mirror, slowly putting his arm down. He squinted at his reflection before noticing that his eyes had turned a bloody red color.

The master of fire's mouth dropped open. _What... What's happening to me?_ he thought angrily. _Why does everything have to change?_

He let out a low growl and smashed the mirror. Glass splinters flew around the room. One of the pieces dug itself deep into Kai's cheek, but he didn't notice. He was already spinning into a fiery orange tornado.

The small whirlwind spun around the room, flinging furniture and wreckage everywhere. The red ninja was in frenzy mode, and there was no way to stop it.

Finally, he slowed down and landed in a panting heap on the battered floor. As he gasped for breath, he finally noticed the blood streaming down his face. Kai took in a shuddering breath and rose from the ground.

"Y-you'll... pay.. for this..." he wheezed before falling to the floor and passing out.

 **Jay and Cole** had finally made it to the arena, and they were staring at the board that had the names of the fighters on them.

Jay turned around slowly, noticing Master Chen sitting in the throne behind them.

"You.. You want me to do... WHAT?!" he seethed, pointing a finger at Chen.

"Ohhhh, I just want you to fight Kai! That's all." He grinned, assuming innocence. "It's not much really."

Jay crossed his arms and humphed. "Well I don't want to!"

The noodle man smiled cheekily. "I don't think you have a choice, Master of Lightning."

Cole joined in. "But you can't do that! It's-it's..."

"Not fair?" Chen beamed. "Is that what you were going to say? WELL, TOO BAD! It's my game and my rules!"

"B-but," Jay stammered angrily. "I can't fight KAI! He's my friend!"

"Not to mention he's too hothea-," Cole muttered under his breath until Jay kicked him. "-OW!"

"I'm not changing it," Master Chen harrumphed before turning his throne around.

The two ninja looked at each other in question before running back to Kai's room.

Chen's voice boomed through the giant speakers, "Oh, and by the way, THE FIGHT STARTS NOW!"

Jay yelped and started to run faster, only to run smack into...

KAI.

The blue ninja's heart skipped a beat as the breath was driven out of him. "K-Kai!"

The fire ninja looked terrible. His tournament clothes were torn, his eyes were hollow and burning with red, he had a chunk of glass stuck in his cheek, there was blood running down his face and chest, his hair was matted with sweat, and even his skin was a pale grey color.

Jay and Cole sucked in their breaths at the sight, leaving them both speechless.

Kai's evil red eyes turned to the two ninja. His sides were heaving and shuddering as he struggled to breathe.

"You..." he whispered in a frightening moan. "You s-ssstole everything from meee."

Cole's eyes widened in fear. "Kai, what happened? We didn't steal anything from you!"

"Y-yeah, of c-course not," Jay stammered, shivering in horror.

Master Chen had appeared behind them.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" he chuckled. "You'll be fighting Kai's dark side. Much different than the real Kai. I had Clouse add some minor glitches, but he was already almost there. You know, what with learning about his parents, falling in love with a spy, and whatnot. And lucky for us, he was still brooding about not becoming the green ninja. So the rest was easy! Have fun in your fight, boys!"

The black and blue ninja gawked up at the dark side of their friend, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly a thought came to Cole. "Jay, hurry up and find the jade blade! If you get it, you may not have to fight him, and Kai might turn back to his normal self!"

Jay still looked frozen, so Cole gave him a push. "GO!"

Suddenly the blue ninja burst into action. He dove over Kai's head and started smacking over the obstacles that had somehow appeared.

"WHERE... IS... THAT... JADE BLADE?!" he yelped as Kai started after him.

Cole was standing behind them, ready to join in, but several of Chen's minions had appeared behind them. They dragged the furious ninja back into a chair and strapped him in.

"GO, JAY! HURRY UP!" he called, still struggling against his bonds.

"I KNOW, I KNOW!" Jay was shrieking while knocking over chairs. "I CAN'T WORK MUCH FASTER!"

But suddenly the dark side of Kai was in front of him, copying Jay's movements and looking through the obstacles.

Jay froze in terror as the red ninja stopped and straightened up.

Kai turned around with the jade blade in his hand. His lips turned up in a grin, but the smile never reached his empty red eyes. The sinister smirk sent shivers down Jay's back. The ninja of lightning stared into his friend's cold expression, wishing he could disappear like Shade.

"YOU STARTED THE WHOLE THING," the red ninja growled in a voice that wasn't his own. It sounded hollow and raspy. He pointed the blade at his target, ready to strike. "IF YOU HADN'T JOINED SENSEI WU, THE OTHER NINJA, AND ME, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

"W-what?" Jay looked confused and frightened. "I don't understand!"

"OF COURSE YOU DON'T." He scowled. "YOU NEVER UNDERSTAND."

Jay backed up a pace. "K-Kai... This isn't you!"

Kai laughed with no sign of humor and drove the blade closer to Jay's rapidly beating heart.

"Oh, but it is me." He paused, cocking his head to one side in a sign of bemusement.

"I'm just a bit..." He dug his weapon into Jay's chest, causing the blue ninja to stumble backwards with a cry of anguish.

"...different."

"KAI HAS WON THIS ROUND!" Chen yelled through the speakers. "MASTER OF LIGHTNING... LOSES!"

Cole's mouth hung open in a silent scream as Jay fell to the ground. Tears streamed down his face.

"KAI! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" He yelled in agony, unable to suppress his emotions. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

In the background, Chen whispered something to Clouse.

Suddenly, Kai's face cleared up and he came back to his regular self. He gasped as he saw Jay lying before him, a deep wound in his chest.

"W-what? Jay!" he collapsed next to his dying friend, checking his pulse to see if he was still breathing. He had no memory of what had happened.

Chen's minions let Cole go, and he charged to Jay's side, fearing the worst. "Jay..."

Kai stared at Cole in confusion with a silent question, tears starting to come to his eyes.

Cole started to get angry, then saw that it wasn't Kai's fault and hung his head.

"It.. it doesn't matter right now. Jay.. Jay doesn't have much longer. We need help."

Jay's eyes closed and he moaned quietly. "Ung... C-Cole..."

Cole was instantly alert. "Jay! Jay, you're going to be fine! You're going to be-"

"W-what..." Jay cringed as a wave of pain passed. "What happened... to... to K-Kai?"

The red ninja sobbed, "I'm right here, Jay."

"Don't worry, buddy, he's back to normal. As you will be soon," Cole added sorrowfully, only half believing it.

The master of lightning shuddered. "I.. I..."

"Lay still, Jay.." Cole placed his hand on Jay's shoulder to prevent him from getting up.

"It- it's not y-your... fault.. Kai..."

Kai wasn't sure what to say.

"...Jay?"

"..What, Kai...?" he groaned.

"I'm sorry." the red ninja whispered, stroking Jay's bangs out of his face.

The dying ninja smiled. "...I... forgive... y-you..."

Jay shuddered once before falling into the void of darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Broken Dreams

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 2:**  
 **BROKEN DREAMS**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

 _A flash of memories was darting around his head like a whirlwind, jabbing at his thoughts and making him drowsy. He remembered Sensei Wu finding him after he crashed his invention. He was glad that he had been chosen to work with his friends. What would have happened if Sensei had found somebody else? He would probably still be working at his parents' junk heap. Ed and Edna were good people, but you can only stay around them for so long. They worried too much. Kind of like... like who? It had been so long, he couldn't remember._

 _Who were his brothers again? Mmm, he remembered the lovely colors. Black.. red... white.. mixing together with his favorite color to form a blend. Blue was such a nice color. Even his girlfriend had to admit that. His girlfriend? What was her name...?_

 _A kiss..._

 _Nya._

Jay yawned, finally waking up for the first time since being stabbed by the jade blade. He shrieked as a spasm of agony sliced across his bare torso, causing him to shudder uncontrollably. As he gasped for breath, he cautiously opened his sapphire-tinted eyes. His eyes struggled to focus, and he saw faintly colored blobs around the bed he was lying on.

"Ungg..." he moaned as another strike of pain flashed past. He closed his eyes again to escape the light. He started to sink back into the darkness...

"Jay! Jay, tell me you're all right! Jay... Jay?"

The blue ninja coughed in reply, barely hearing the words in his weak state.

"Jay... It's Kai, Jay. I- I'm..."

The voice trailed off, and somewhere deep in his mind, Jay felt sympathetic. But why? What had happened to him? He crinkled his brow in confusion.

"...I'm here."

There was the voice again. It sounded faintly familiar. What had the voice said his name was...?

The Voice sobbed loudly, and suddenly there was a great pressure on Jay's chest along with the feeling of unwashed hair.

Jay squawked as his already broken chest burst into flames of unbearable pain. The flames licked along his shoulders and spread into his fingers, causing them to clench into tight fists. Somewhere in the distance he felt the weight lift off hurriedly.

"Oh gosh- Jay! I'm sorry! I didn't mean- Agh... J-Jay...? Jay? JAY?!"

The panic in the Voice was evident, but Jay hardly noticed. He was only trying to escape the agony.

"Cole! Cole, I- I don't know what to do! He's not breathing and- Where are you..?" The Voice broke into sobs once more. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Jay... I'm.. so... sorry."

Wait.. The pain... Where had it gone? Jay slowly breathed outward. He only felt warmth. Beautiful warmth.

"Jay...? If you.. If you're still in there.."

The master of lightning smiled.

"J-Jay? Jay? Are you-?"

Jay coughed again, but was surprised to feel no burst of pain.

The Voice sucked in his breath. "Y-your hand! It's turning... black!"

What did the Voice mean? Why would his hand turn black? _I need to wake up_ , he thought distantly. _Wake up, Jay!_

Jay blinked open his eyes and waited for them to focus once more. As the blobs turned into sharper images, he wondered what had happened to the Voice. He wished it would come back.

He turned his head to the right, seeing a young man with brown spiky hair. He had his head in his hands, and he was crying silently. His red clothes looked new. Jay wondered why he was crying. It took a big man to cry.

Suddenly everything came back to him. Kai had tried to kill him!

"K-Kai...?" He asked feebly. It came out more like a whisper.

The red ninja lifted his head, revealing red-rimmed eyes. He looked immensely relieved to see Jay awake.

"Jay," He whispered, staring at his friend.

"Y-you..."

"No, don't talk! Please!" Kai instantly jerked into action, aiming to hug the auburn-haired ninja.

Jay couldn't speak anymore, so he just shook his head furiously so Kai wouldn't hurt him again.

At the last moment, the red ninja realized what he had been about to do. He plopped back into his chair and hung his head. "This is all my fault, Jay."

Jay just looked at him.

"I hadn't realized how close I had become to... to..."

His young companion's eyes sparked in recognition. "I know..." they seemed to be saying.

He continued, about ready to burst into tears again. "I.. Clouse only had to worsen it a little... It was all me..."

"This is all my fault," He croaked for the second time.

"No... K-Kai... It's n-not.. your... fault," He stammered with a large amount of energy.

Kai studied his partner with heartache in his dark eyes. He knew it was all himself. But it was just like the Jay he knew to forgive him. Maybe he needed faith like Jay. _Oh Jay..._

"Thanks buddy..." he managed to utter, wiping a stray tear off his face.

"Listen... I've got to go get Cole... Can you stay awake while I get him?"

The battered ninja only blinked before lying his head back on the pillow.

Kai peered at his friend for a few more minutes before dashing off. But by the time he returned, with Cole at his side, Jay had fallen back asleep.

"He was awake! He was..."

"I know, Kai... Let's let him sleep."

"But-"

"I know you think it's your fault-"

"He... he told me it wasn't my fault..."

"It isn't your fault, Kai. -But nothing is going to change Jay's predicament. Let him rest."

The master of fire hung his head and allowed his friend to guide him out of Jay's room.

As Cole steered his companion gently out of the room, he whispering a silent thank you to the unconscious warrior for unknowingly helping the red ninja.


	3. Chapter 3: Silent Embrace

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 3:**  
 **SILENT EMBRACE**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

Cole sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The bed was rather uncomfortable, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. He had too much to think about.

Jay was hurt. Zane and Lloyd were missing. Skylor also seemed to be missing. Master Chen had called an announcement early that morning telling everyone to watch for his daughter. Kai was...

The black ninja sighed once again and rolled over onto his stomach. He grunted as the rock-hard mattress dug into his belly. What Kai was going through, he couldn't imagine. To totally lose yourself in anger and revenge and unleash it without realizing on one of your best friends. He had seen the red ninja totally break down after leaving Jay's room. He didn't know what his injured friend had told Kai, but it seemed to have connected with him.

Cole swiped his black hair out of his eyes and thought back to that day. It had been almost three days since Kai's... incident. After the wild-haired teen had hurt Jay, Kai had woken from his trance. Cole had to make a split-second decision that Kai had meant no harm and reluctantly allowed him to help carry their writhing companion to his room.

The black-clothed teen growled under his breath. They had gotten no help from Master Chen of his minions. Those blithering... Cole smashed his fist into the bed angrily. Kai and he had wrap Jay up themselves, hoping they weren't hurting him further in the process. They sat with him all night before deciding to do a shift. Right now it was Kai's turn to watch over the blue ninja. He had wanted to take a double shift several times, but Cole had refused. Falling asleep from sheer exhaustion wouldn't help their friend.

His mind returned to Sensei Garmadon. He had not been seen since before Jay had been injured. He didn't know what had happened to the older man, but he knew it couldn't be good.

"So many questions..." he whispered. "But when will they be answered?"

One thing he knew for sure. They had to find Zane, Lloyd, and Garmadon. Then they could find a way to get Jay back to Nya's base and get him cured. It was a strange sickness that had overcome the young ninja. He slept a lot, barely ate, seemed groggy. Something was playing with his mind. Cole wondered if it was an internal problem or the fault of the jade blade. In any case, maybe Garmadon, Wu, or Misako would know what was plaguing Jay.

Nya wouldn't hurt either.

Cole knew how important Nya was to Jay. If anything would help him, it would be her. He hoped they could establish some sort of contact with them. Currently, they probably didn't even know where they were. But right now, he had to concentrate on finding his lost friends.

Suddenly a thought hit him. Zane would know what to do. He always did. If only there was a way to get to him...

The teen got off of his bed and started for the door. He needed to let off some steam. He checked the clock and blinked in surprise.

"Kai managed to get a double-shift after all," he grinned. Starting off at a sprint, he made his way to Jay's room.

He was panting by the time he reached the blue ninja's door. Cole knocked on the door and let himself in. He spotted Kai sitting on a chair next to Jay. Kai looked almost as pale as the injured teen himself.

"Kai? What's wrong?" Cole asked slowly, his eyes shifting from Kai to Jay.

Kai stuttered awkwardly, "Well... I was going to come get you, but... I didn't want to leave him alone and-"

"Kai," Cole demanded sternly. "What happened?"

The red ninja looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. He pointed to Jay's trembling black hand.

Wait... _BLACK_ hand?

Cole dashed over with confusion and fear planted on his face. Sure enough, the master of lightning's hand had turned a sickly pale grey edging on black.

The black-haired ninja turned around with a frown on his face. Kai looked uncomfortable.

"When did this happen?" he asked quietly.

"Uh... erm..." Kai still wouldn't make eye contact. "I noticed it... well..."

"Kai..."

"Okay! Okay! I noticed it yesterday, alright?" He flinched as if he thought Cole was going to be furious.

Cole analyzed the situation quickly in his head. Yesterday. So it had taken only a few days for this to happen.

"And... why didn't you tell me?"

Kai started blubbering, "Well, I meant to.. I just.. I was kind of mixed up and... I... I..."

Cole sighed inwardly. His friend had been under a large amount of stress lately. There were numerous ways to fix this, but since it was mostly emotional...

"Kai, it's okay. It's alright. I understand."

The red ninja looked up at his brother with pain in his eyes. Cole smiled willingly at him and held his arms to the side in a silent gesture.

Kai smiled a bit and accepted the invitation. He was pulled into a big bear hug by the ninja of earth. Cole's arms were tightly locked around Kai's figure, and Kai dug his face into Cole's broad shoulder. The red ninja tried not to cry, but he ended up sobbing anyway. This was way too much for him. Maybe he wasn't as strong as he thought he was...

They stood there in the embrace until Kai reluctantly pulled away, staring into Cole's deep brown eyes before looking down again.

"...thanks, Cole... I'm sorry." Kai whispered. He had been terrified for the past few days that his friends wouldn't accept him anymore. It would be much harder to break their friendship than that, he realized.

Cole just smiled and patted his brother on the back.

"Go get some rest, bud. You've earned it. And thank you for watching Jay like this," he added. "I'm sure he appreciates it too."

Kai gave him a weak smile of gratitude before stumbling for the door. He paused once before he left the room to look back at Cole. The black-haired teen winked at him before turning back to Jay.

The master of fire gave a sigh of relief before making his way back to his room.


	4. Chapter 4: Caught Black Handed

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 4:**  
 **CAUGHT BLACK HANDED**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

Kai was sitting in his room after his last Jaywatch. Cole and he had a joke about taking their shifts in taking care of their beaten-up friend. They knew how important it was to keep their humor, and Jay wouldn't want them to be sad all the time. Cole had come up with the term "Jay Watcher" for the current caretaker, and it had stuck. Kai smiled a bit, thinking about what Jay would have to say about that.

The red ninja rubbed his eyes and sighed. He had just come back from hugging Cole, and he realized for the first time how emotionally exhausted he was. _Funny what a simple hug can do to you,_ he thought, blinking. He didn't want to do anything but sleep.

He had cleaned up his room since his last rampage because he didn't want Cole to unexpectedly visit and see the horror he had unleashed. He could simply fall down on his bed and slumber away. But for some reason, something was holding him back. Suddenly he remembered that he needed to change the bandage on his cheek. He hadn't paid much attention to the deep cut the glass shard had given him. He was too worried about his friend.

Kai walked over to the new mirror on his wall, which replaced the one he had broken. He slowly undid the bandage, not sure what he would find. He examined the cut, snorting as he noticed how fast it had healed over three days. It was already almost gone.

"Weird," he muttered, starting to put a new bandage on. As he sloppily stuck the dressings on his face, he looked behind himself at the small table beside his bed. Cole had brought in lunch yesterday, but Kai had never eaten it. Maybe he should get something in his stomach before turning in.

He stomped over to the bed and sat down, halfheartedly gnawing on a sandwich. His stomach gurgled, and he frowned as pain rumbled through his gut. Clenching his stomach, he groaned, wondering what was happening. He choked as another strike of pain hit and he fell on the floor gasping.

His eyes flickered in pain until they turned red. He growled deep in his throat as the pain stopped. He got to his feet and stood up straight, staring at the door.

"I'm back," he breathed in a raw, hollow voice.

 _Spinning colors surrounded the blue warrior, and he grinned in surprise. He loved the feeling he got when the wind swept past his shaggy auburn hair. The ninja laughed as he started to run through the grass, holding his arms out like he did when he was little. He remembered when he would run into his father's arms and laugh until it was time for bed. Where had those days gone?_

 _The master of lightning sighed as he laid down on the grass and stared up into the cloudless sky. He hadn't felt so good in a long time. But he felt like something was missing._

 _Maybe it was... He looked up as he saw a silhouette of a slim feminine body sauntering towards him. He took in his breath and shook his head vigorously as he stared at it. No... it couldn't be..._

 _"N-Nya?" he stammered, his heart pumping like nuts._

 _The figure held open its arms in welcome and he hurriedly got to his feet and ran towards the shadow. He knew it had to be her. Who else could it be?_

 _"JAY," a voice boomed out of nowhere, shattering his dream. The blue ninja sighed and rolled over in his bed. He groaned and looked up to see..._

 _Jay's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "ZANE?" he screeched, gaping at the shiny nindroid. "What? Why?"_

 _Zane held up his hand. "Calm down, Jay. This is no cause for excitement."_

 _"Heh, yeah. We're just visiting you in a DREAM," snickered Lloyd, who had appeared beside him. "That's totally normal."_

 _Jay studied their surroundings for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the two... no three... figures._

"Skylor? What are you doing here? And why are we in a prison? WHAT IS GOING ON?!" About on the verge of panic, Jay tried breathing in and out slowly... and ultimately failed.

"Zane, he's hyperventilating again," the green ninja sighed. "Maybe we should have waited a few more days before contacting him."

"We had to contact Jay as soon as we could. It is imperative that we get him out of here," Zane replied, looking slightly annoyed. "Calm down, Jay!"

"Let me handle this, boys," Skylor sighed. She walked over to the freaked out ninja and kicked him in the shin. Everyone stared at her in shock. Everyone except for Jay, that is, who was jumping around whining about his leg being broken.

"Owwwww, why'd ya have to do that, Skylor? And seriously, what's happening?" Jay grimaced at the orange female and turned his attention back to Zane.

Zane frowned at Skylor once more before starting his explanation. "Long story short, Skylor found out about Master Chen using Kai's 'dark side', as he put it, to injure you and kick all of you out of the tournament. She was repelled by her father's maniac spirit and helped Lloyd and I to break out. We are currently situated in an abandoned room in the prison area. The reason we can contact you through dreams is because Skylor stole the jade blade that injured you. Its poison is slowly entering your body, letting us use the poison to contact your brain. I know it sounds confusing, but we should be able to clear all of this up soon. We have to limit this dream to a few minutes so that we can warn you if something happens to us, or to you. We do not have a big supply of poison down here. Just know that we are trying to find a way to get you out, and we will get there soon. Tell Cole and Kai if you can, but do not use your energy trying to tell them if you feel too weak. Your energy is running low, and you cannot live long on a low battery..."

The dream was cut to an end, and Jay gasped as he was thrown back into reality.

Garmadon stormed into the room, startling Cole as he slammed the door closed. The older man looked disgruntled as he gasped for breath. It looked like he had run a long way.

Cole studied him with question in his eyes, but he waited for the sensei to catch his breath before asking questions. He turned back to Jay, who's hand had now turned pitch black. He was worried about that. But apparently Garmadon was back. Perhaps he could answer his questions.

Sensei Garmadon had finally caught his breath, and he moved to the chair on the other side of Jay's bed. Cole stared at him questioningly and he sighed before beginning.

"I saw what happened. I am sorry that I hadn't come sooner, but Clouse and Chen had other ideas. They have been holding me captive. They did not want me to heal Jay before he could start the transformation."

Cole gaped at the older man. "WHAT transformation? Does this have something to do with Jay's hand turning black?"

"Sadly yes," Garmadon sighed again. "Our friend is beginning his slow descent into the underworld. Once his entire body turns black as that hole itself, he will be... gone. Forever."

The black ninja stared at his injured best friend. "Y-you mean... Once he turns black... He'll... He won't come back?"

The sensei nodded solemnly. "There's nothing we can do now. Only watch and wait."

Realizing that Cole might need some time to process this, he silently got up and left the room. Cole barely noticed that he had left.

"Jay... You can't leave us... If there was any way I could help..." The master of earth swiped his black hair out of his eyes and touched the blue ninja's arm, as if he was afraid he might leave at any second. "Things are happening too fast... And if Kai knew about this... I can't tell him. It would break him.

"Come on, Bud... You gotta tell me what to do. Being a leader ain't easy, you know..." Cole attempted to smile, but it didn't work very well. "You always have great ideas. Ideas we probably take for granted. Although, maybe that incident with the anchor wasn't the best plan in the world." He smiled at the thought. Smashing through Darkley's Boarding School at full speed hadn't been good for his stomach.  
Cole sighed again, relaxing his grip a bit on Jay's arm. He buried his head in his free hand. No, he wouldn't cry. That was not the way to help Jay. Instead he was just content to sit there with his friend.

"Ah!" Cole jumped as a volt of shock zoomed through his arm. He stared at Jay in amazement. He had just... used his electricity. But that was impossible... Jay had barely been breathing since he woke up that one time. He couldn't use his powers with so little energy.

But Cole was wrong. The blue ninja opened his eyes and blinked at him. He managed a lopsided grin, which made Cole choke up.

"Cole," he whispered. "I found Zane."


	5. Chapter 5: Danger and Tacos

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 5:**  
 **DANGER AND TACOS**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

Cole was sitting in Jay's room contemplating all his injured friend had managed to tell him. He had listened to Jay explain his dream before he reluctantly told the master of lightning to go back to sleep. If what Zane had said was true, the blue ninja needed to save as much energy as possible.

The black-haired teen frowned, which he seemed to be doing a lot of lately. He just couldn't be sure that Jay really had been contacted by Zane and the others. It could be an after-affect of the poisoned jade blade, or even just a plain dream. Even if what Zane said made sense, it could all be coincidence. Either way, Cole was just as confused as ever. He stared at Jay's withered black hand in anger, wishing this could all just end.

Suddenly a huge bang made the master of earth jump, and he went into defense mode instantly. He brought his hands up to his face and stood in a crouch, ready to pummel anything that came within twenty feet of his friend. His dark eyes swept around the room before coming to a halt at the sight of a ragged figure in the doorway.

It barely looked human. Its hair was plastered down on its face with sweat, and the scar on its cheek was flowing with blood. Its hollow red eyes glared at Cole, making the ninja shiver. Torn red clothes hung from a pale skinny body. The figure was holding a sharp double-edged sword.

"K-Kai...?" Cole stammered in fear. "What happened to you?"

The horrible mangled shadow didn't answer. He continued to stare at the two ninja with cold fury showing in his blood-red eyes. For one stressful moment, nothing happened. But then a raspy voice whispered into his mind.

" _You don't know the meaning of pain_ ," the voice growled hoarsely. " _But I can show you..._ "

It broke into an awful howling sound, which could be interpreted as laughter, before lunging at Jay. Cole didn't even have time to move before the figure was at the defenseless ninja's side. The black-haired teen gave a mangled scream as the Dark Kai raised his weapon.

 _Jay boarded the bus awkwardly, not knowing what he was doing there. He wasn't supposed to be on a bus, but he wanted to go somewhere else for a change. He looked up when a young man who looked about Jay's age walked over to him._

 _The blue ninja was dressed in his usual civilian clothes, for he had no need to wear his ninja gear in Ninjago City. Or wherever he was. He didn't even know anymore. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone besides the other man to make fun of him anyway. Jay smoothed down the edges of his blue jacket with the white stripe as the man addressed him._

 _Hewwo thewe," the man greeted him. He sounded like Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes. "Wewcome to the Taco Bus, uh-hah-hah-hah! My name is Dudwey Swawveza, and I'ww be youw host today. May I ask what youw name is?"_

 _Jay blinked in surprise. Dudley Swarveza? What kind of name was that? He had no idea what a "Taco Bus" was, either. He wasn't sure he could trust this man._

 _So, thinking of the first name that popped into his head, he stammered, "Um... Hi. My name's.. uh.. Cole. Yeah. That's right. Ha."_

 _He grinned sheepishly, feeling his cheeks go red. But Dudley didn't seem to notice, because he was busy writing on a taco with a lettuce pen. Jay raised an eyebrow at this._

 _"Weww we'we happy to have you aboawd, Cowe! Want a taco?" Without waiting for an answer, he stuffed the taco into Jay's mouth, which abruptly cut off his oxygen supply because his nose was already plugged by a few radishes. Starting to suffocate, he grappled at Dudley's arm, who didn't pay him any attention. He was too busy looking at pictures of mutated gorillas._

 _Suddenly, the_ real _Cole entered the bus, and to Jay's great relief, pulled the radishes and taco out of the suffocating teen's face. Who knew how the radishes had gotten there. Meanwhile, Dudley had finally turned, and he was now beaming at Cole._

 _"Good day, mate," he greeted in a now Cockney accent. "Right! Welcome ter our Taco Bus! Right! Let me introduce ter yer this not so bad yung man. His name is Cole! Honest guv!"_

 _The real Cole grimaced, but seemed to understand why Jay hadn't used his real name. He smiled weakly at Dudley and winked at his friend. Suddenly realizing that he was still holding the radishes that had been up Jay's nose, he threw them out the window in disgust._

 _"Uh, well. I'm Kai, I suppose," he replied, now looking at Dudley with puppy-dog eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have cake on this bus, would you, Dudley?"_

 _Jay had no idea how Cole knew Dudley's name, since no one had told him. But everyone else seemed at ease, so he didn't say anything. Although he wouldn't have been able to say anything anyway, because Dudley had turned on the radio. After turning the volume knob all the way up to "Burst Your Eardrums" mode, he settled himself into a chair and started to read the newspaper._

 _Jay and Cole were now in agony, because their ears were trying to fall off. But suddenly Kai walked onto the bus with carrots sticking out of his ears. Seeing his friends in obvious torment, he walked over to Dudley and gave him a piece of paper._

 _The paper said,_ I iz Lllllllllllllllllllllloy-eed. Uhhh...Lllllllllllloy-eed Gah-muh-dawn. Duh, yep. Pleez tuRn off de m00-zik.

 _Dudley seemed to understand, because he ate a hotdog, which is the code for "okay." But then a crocodile showed up and ate the Taco Bus, so they all went to the movies. But Jay fell asleep at the best part, so they went to the jelly bean pond to play duck-duck-goose with the local cows. After spending an exhilarating evening mooing, they all went home and-_

Jay woke up with a start as a shattering cry of agony shot across the room. He looked up just in time to see Cole crumpled on the floor with a bloody figure standing over him.


	6. Chapter 6: Standing Firm

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 6:**  
 **STANDING FIRM**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

Jay woke up with a start as a shattering cry of agony shot across the room. He looked up just in time to see Cole crumpled on the floor with a bloody figure standing over him. The blue ninja was unable to do anything but watch. He stared at his two friends, trying to sort out in his already muddled mind what was going on.

Cole gasped for breath, staring up at his possessed friend. The wind had apparently been knocked out of the black-haired ninja, because he was holding his chest and wheezing. Kai was standing there with an expression of unconcern in his blood-tinged eyes.

It was ominously silent in the room. Jay's chest was throbbing where the jade blade had stabbed him. He felt almost empty, as if he was nothing more than a hollow shell. He noticed that his hand was indeed a nasty black color. Feeling like it was a bad omen, he looked away in disgust.

Jay bit his lip as Cole burst into action. The ninja of earth rolled to one side, making Kai stumble backwards in surprise, before jumping to his feet and racing away. The mangled red ninja snarled like an animal and started after him with a jade blade in his hand.

Cole was now backed up against a wall, his eyes narrowed in concentration as his attacker neared him. Just as Kai was ready to take swing at him, Cole dove to one side. The jade blade smacked into the wall with a hearty clang, and the black-haired teen grinned as Kai struggled to pull it back out.

"What's the matter, Kai? Lost your EDGE?" Cole taunted, swiping his black hair out of his eyes.

Jay would have laughed at the quip if he hadn't been so worried about his friends. But then Cole turned and winked at him, and he grinned lopsidedly back. His buddy would be fine. It was Kai he was worried about.

Finally managing to pry the blade out of the wall, Kai took a huge uncontrolled swing at his enemy. It almost knocked him over in the process, but he succeeded in making Cole leap backwards in a hurried attempt to avoid the blow. Without waiting for the muscled teen to retaliate, he flung the blade at the unbalanced ninja.

Jay caught his breath as Cole managed to swerve to one side before the green sword lodged into the floor a few inches away from his neck. He yelped in surprise and recoiled away from the evil blade. Jay looked back at Kai with new fury in his blue-tinted eyes. Nobody was allowed to hurt his friend! He struggled to get out of his bed-sheets.

Unfortunately, Cole saw him trying to get out of bed. Jay laid back down reluctantly after a quick glare from the black-haired teen. But Kai had noticed their brief eye contact, and he was already swinging a punch by the time Cole turned back around.

Kai's fist landed squarely on Cole's cheek, and the teen on the receiving end stumbled backwards with a cry of pain. However, Kai's dark side didn't let up. He aimed a few more punches at Cole's face before jabbing his fist into the soft flesh of his stomach.

Jay let out a small squeak as Cole fell to his knees and moaned. Kai let out a hollow laugh and started in for the final blow. Jay watched in horror as he yanked the jade blade out of the ground and fixed his eyes on the groaning ninja.

But suddenly Kai wasn't there anymore. Jay heard a massive crack as the dark ninja's head met the wall. The auburn-haired teen let out a relieved breath as he saw Sensei Garmadon standing over the unconscious ninja with his wooden staff in his hand. The old warrior had come to the rescue in the nick of time.

Cole let out a massive sigh as he saw the threat vanish. He slowly rose to his feet as the pain in his stomach ebbed. He stared at Kai, who was now crumpled on the floor with a knot on his head.

"Sensei..." he gasped, wiping blood off his face. "You g-gotta get Kai out of here!"

Garmadon didn't respond right away, but he picked up the pale teen and turned back to Cole.

"Will you be okay?" he asked in concern, looking at the bruises on his cheeks.

"Y-yeah... I think so. Besides, I want to talk to Jay about something," he added with a sideways glance towards Jay's bed.

Garmadon nodded. "Then I will put Kai in his bed and try to sort out what happened. Apparently his dark side isn't as gone as we thought it was."

With that, he turned around and carried Kai out of the room.

Cole smiled awkwardly at Jay, and the injured teen grinned back. He was just relieved that no one had been seriously hurt. But his smile quickly faded as his friend sighed sadly.

"Cole... What's the matter? Are you okay?" Jay asked, surprised that his voice now seemed to be working fine.

Cole plopped down on the chair beside the bed and started cleaning the blood off his face with a towel.

"No..." Cole sighed. "It's just... I was totally weakened. Kai beat me."

"But Sensei-"

Cole cut him off. "That's not the point. I feel like I've failed you. I should have done better. I can't protect you. I can't even protect myself."

Jay frowned. "Cole, you didn't want to hurt him."

"You don't understand! I wasn't strong enough! I can't be strong enough for this team. Lloyd and Zane are missing, Kai's not himself, you're injured..."

"C-Cole... I had no idea you felt this way."

"I do feel that way. Probably more than I should," he added with a weak laugh.

"You shouldn't. You're the strongest person I've ever met. If anyone tells you that you're not good enough, they're wrong."

Cole wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Cole...?"

"What is it?"

"Please... never give up. Never. Promise me."

The black-haired teen rubbed a tear out of his eye. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't. He was Cole, the master of earth. And he would stand firm.

"...I... I promise.


	7. Chapter 7: Never Shaken

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 7:**  
 **NEVER SHAKEN**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

Cole strode along the sleek hallway, deep in thought. He didn't even notice when he walked straight past the place he was going. After rolling his eyes and backtracking a few paces, he stopped outside Jay's door. He heard yelling, so he yanked the door open and burst into the room.

"IT'S. A. LIGHTNING BUG," Jay was protesting loudly.

"NO," Kai crossed his arms. "IT'S A FIREFLY."

"No way! Everybody knows that it's called a lightning bug!"

"Everybody EXCEPT YOU knows that it's called a firefly!"

"No, you've got it all wrong!"

"No I haven't!"

"Yes you have!"

"NO I HAVEN'T!"

"YES YOU HAVE!"

"NO I HAV-"

Cole coughed loudly, and they both turned to look at him.

Jay grinned at him sheepishly, and Kai looked slightly guilty. Cole broke into a smile. The scene was rather humorous to him.

"What on earth are you two arguing about?" Cole asked, choking back a laugh.

"Um..." Kai gulped. "Well..."

Jay gave his red-clothed friend a mischievous smirk. Kai glared back. Cole rolled his eyes again and walked over to Garmadon, who was sitting in a corner of the room.

Garmadon sighed. "They're arguing whether a bug is called a lightning bug or a firefly. I'm not sure why this is important."

"They don't have anything else to do," Cole gave a weak shrug. "If they were being nice to each other, I would be worried."

The sensei chuckled and changed the subject. "Were you going to give Jay some exercise? He needs it after being cooped up in here for a week."

The black-haired ninja rubbed his arm for a moment before replying. "Well, I guess we could take a walk or something."

"That would be fine," Sensei Garmadon nodded. "Just keep it easy."

He lowered his voice. "Do not forget that Jay has still got plenty of poison running through his system. His arm looks suspiciously pale..."

Cole wrinkled his brow and tried to look around nonchalantly. Jay and Kai were arguing again ("Are you sure you've been educated correctly?" Jay snickered). The young ninja saw that Jay's arm was turning quite pale, and he had no doubt that it would soon become similar to his blackened hand.

The master of earth flinched and turned back to Garmadon. "Do... do you think there's... ANY chance...?"

"Cole, I don't know. The only antidote I know for this is extremely difficult to locate-"

"So there IS an antidote?!" Cole exclaimed, causing the arguing ninja to look around in surprise before returning to their tussle.

The old man sighed once more. "I can't promise anything. There might as well not be an antidote since it is so hard to find. Now go on and take Jay for a walk!"

Cole turned around reluctantly and walked back over to Kai and Jay.

"For your information, you're both right, so will you stop fighting over nothing?" he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

Kai snorted. "Are you telling me that people really call them LIGHTNING BUGS? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Ha," Jay raised an eyebrow as well. "You're just jealous 'cause you were wrong!"

"Oh, and you WEREN'T wrong, I presume?" Kai shot back.

"Er..."

Cole let out a sigh of exasperation. "Jay, you ain't staying in bed all day, are you? Let's go for a walk."

"You mean I can get up?!" Jay exclaimed, practically falling out of bed already. His gaped at Cole, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Cole burst out laughing, which felt pretty good considering the past few days. Kai soon joined in, and pretty soon all three ninja were having fits of giggles.

Once they quit laughing, Cole managed to convince Jay that he could indeed get out of bed and stretch his legs. Garmadon and Kai went to Kai's room for some research on why the Dark Side kept coming back. The red ninja did not look too well, and both Jay and Cole could see that he would not forgive himself for hurting Jay for a long time.

Jay swept his blankets and sheets off his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked up at Cole with question in his eyes. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to stand up.

Cole held out an arm, and Jay grasped it gratefully. The blue ninja struggled to his feet, but got frustrated after a moment and flopped back down. Cole frowned and sat next to him.

"Come on, what's the matter?" he asked, discouraged that Jay was giving up already.

Jay averted his eyes and swiped his auburn hair out of his eyes. He didn't answer. The ninja of earth scooted closer.

"Jay... You made me promise not to give up... And you need to make that same promise for me. You..." Cole broke off, remembering that Jay didn't even know what was going to happen to him. Garmadon had decided to let Cole tell the injured ninja.

"I-I haven't told you this yet, Jay. Your hand turning black... It... Garmadon said..." He broke off. The young teen had no idea how to say this, and Jay still wouldn't even look at him.

Suddenly, Cole was overwhelmed with anger. If Jay was going to give up, he was finished. He couldn't let that happen. He finally spilled the beans, telling Jay everything they knew about his condition in a flurry of words. When he finally finished, Jay was staring at him in shock.

"Y-you mean... I'm going to... die?" Jay whispered, pulling slightly away from his friend.

"No, no! I'm not going to let that happen! But it won't help if you give up. Now GET UP!" Cole growled, getting to his feet and holding out his arms again.

Jay seemed surprised by Cole's behavior, but he obliged. After struggling for several minutes, he finally succeeded in standing on his own. The blue ninja let out a sign of relief and gave his friend a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry, Cole," Jay murmured. "It's just... I'm..."

Cole looked at him curiously. What could possibly be wrong with the joke-cracking teen? Jay averted his eyes again.

"I'm scared."

Whatever Jay could have said, Cole had not been expecting that. Sure, he had all rights to be scared. But the young ninja hadn't shown any sign of weakness so far. In fact, he had been helping him and Kai get their spirits up. Apparently it was now time for Cole to return the favor.

"Jay..." Cole pulled the auburn-haired teen into a hug.

"We will get through this," he said with an air of finality.


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 8:**  
 **REUNION**  
 **~Electric-Bluejay**

After somewhat reluctantly pulling away from Cole's hug, Jay felt a little better. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, but he knew that his friends would help him through it. Right now he needed to concentrate on getting out the door.

Jay put a foot forward and would have fallen over if his arm hadn't been wrapped around Cole's shoulder. The master of earth propped him up once again and they started their slow walk to the door. After Jay had tripped about ten times, they finally reached the door, and the blue ninja smirked at his friend.

"This might take awhile, huh?" he snickered, his wobbly legs barely holding him up.

Cole smiled back. "Are you sure you want to keep going? We can go back any time."

"No!" Jay protested, flailing his free arm wildly. "I don't want to stop! Let's keep going."

The black-clothed ninja shrugged and opened the door.

"Which way do you want to go?" he asked, looking from side to side. "Kai's room is that way." He pointed to the right.

"Um..." Jay didn't really want to see Kai just then. He just wanted to hang out with Cole, although he was embarrassed to say it. The ninja of earth would always be his best friend.

"Let's just go left for awhile," he finished with an air of finality.

Cole grinned in acknowledgement and they started off to the left. They started talking, and didn't stop until they heard a patter of feet from down the corridor. They both looked up in surprise, but didn't see anything.

All of a sudden, Jay stopped, and it took all of Cole's strength to not run into him. The black-haired teen had no idea what Jay had seen, but he started to get worried. The blue ninja had a look of pure bewilderment on his face as he stared down the hallway.

"Nya...?" Jay whispered. "Is it..."

Suddenly a feminine figure melted out of the shadows and stared down the corridor at the two ninja. Jay's heart felt like it broke in half as he saw his girlfriend for the first time since they had left Ninjago City. His throat caught as he tried to call out to her, but she seemed to register who they were.

"Jay?" the voice cried out from down the hallway. She started running towards him, and Jay gulped. He attempted to run to her in turn, but fell to his knees. He only managed to open and close his mouth in surprise.

She barreled into him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. He started whimpering her name over and over again, kneading his hands into her back like a cat. She was sobbing.

Cole stared at them a moment before deciding that Nya would help his buddy back to his room, and he pattered back to Jay's room silently.

Jay mewled her name for the fifth time, digging his head into her narrow shoulders. She hugged him closer, wishing she could never let go.

"Jay... I heard... they told me... I thought you were..." she broke off, shivering in shock. "I thought... you were.. gone..."

He didn't reply, but continued whispering her name, squeezing her even tighter. Her tears ran down his neck, but he didn't pay any attention. He could barely breathe; they were holding each other so tightly.

"You're holding me too tight, you big lug," Nya whispered happily. Neither of them eased up.

"Nya..." Jay whimpered again. She pulled back so she could look in his eyes. They stared at each other silently.

"Oh Jay..." She leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. Jay closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He relaxed his grip on her slightly, and she leaned into his arms again.

"Nya?" he whispered. She squeezed his arm.

"Yes...?" she whispered back, her eyes closed.

He just wanted to hear her voice. "Nya...?"

"Jay... I'm here... It's going to be okay..."

He breathed in her sweet scent. _Don't stop..._ he thought.

"Nya..." he breathed once more, licking his lips. "You're... going to stay... right..?"

She smiled. "Of course..."

Jay lifted her head up so that it was inches away from his. He stared into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts... She was beautiful... She was... his.

He kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered when they pulled away. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes with his un-blackened hand. He couldn't worry her... not now.

She looked like she was going to cry again, and he pulled her close. She broke into tears. He ran his hand through her perfect black hair fondly.

Now he realized why he had been so lonely. Why he had almost given up when Cole wanted him to stand. Why he had felt so bad. How had he not known this?

"I've dreamed about you every night," he told her. "I missed you so much..."

Nya had managed to stop crying, and she bit her lip. She looked slightly perturbed by how emotional and soft she was being, but Jay loved it.

"How did you find us?" he asked softly. His chest hurt, but he didn't want to let go of his girl.

She seemed to be a bit relieved to have something to talk about. "Well... Zane managed to contact us... He tried to tell me that you got seriously hurt, but we got cut off and... I just didn't know... If you were even alive... and I've been so worried about you!"

Jay smirked lopsidedly. "You'll never get rid of me!"

She let out a nervous laugh, but didn't seem happy at all. He ran his hand through her hair again. It was so soft...

"Stop it, Jay..." she giggled. That was just what he was going for. Anything to make her happy.

He skittered his numb, blackened hand down her back and hugged her tightly, caressing her hair with his undamaged hand. He didn't ever want to stop holding her. His chest was still hollow and painful, as if even seeing Nya again wouldn't put his heart back together.

He winced as a sharp pain shot through his chest. Nya gasped as his hand snagged in her hair. He groaned as an icy claw raked across his heart. His eyes rolled back into his head.

"Jay!" Nya exclaimed as he doubled over, clutching at his heart. "Jay, are you okay?"

She had no idea why she asked that, since he was undoubtedly not okay. She squeezed his hand and felt his pulse dropping steadily.

"Jay! No, no, no... Jay... Come back to me..." She crouched over him and rolled him onto his back. She touched his cheek, hoping to calm him down somewhat, before she noticed that he wasn't breathing.

Jay stared at her longingly before passing out.

Nya gasped, taking in what had just happened. She put his lips to his, not thinking about what she was doing, and tried to get him to breath again. She dug her fists into his chest and pushed, but he still wasn't moving.

She gave a series of growls as she pushed and breathed into him.

"Jay... Jay... No... No!" she refused to give up, but she was starting to get desperate. Tears ran down her face as she breathed into his lungs again. In one last final effort, she shoved with all her might down on his chest.

Jay took in a huge breath and started coughing uncontrollably. Nya cried out in relief and tried to get Jay to sit up. She rubbed his back, and he finally started breathing normally again.

"Wh-what... happened...?" he sputtered, feeling as if he had swallowed a snowball.

Nya's heart was pumping like crazy. She collapsed into his arms, trying to forget the moment of panic. Luckily, Jay noticed how upset she was and didn't say anything more.

"You... just stopped breathing..." she whispered, stroking his cheek fondly. "And I had to... had to..."

"Mouth-to-mouth?" he asked hopefully, loving the feel of her fingers on his face.

She giggled.

He hugged her closer.

"Think you could do it again?" He smiled mischievously.

"Oh, Jay."


	9. Chapter 9: The Falcon Returns

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 9:**  
 **The Falcon Returns**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

The falcon flapped his long, powerful wings. It zoomed across the beautiful cloudless sky, giving a triumphant cry as it spun in midair. Suddenly it folded in its wings and dove towards the ground. The falcon narrowed its eyes and swooped back up at the last second, skimming the ocean water and sending spray flying. It flapped once more before flying back up into the sky. An island came into view, and the falcon started to fly faster.

"Well done, my feathered friend," a voice boomed in the falcon's receptors. "You have found your destination." The bird of prey cawed affectionately in response as he glided through the sapphire sky.

-

The sitting room was nice and cozy. Two crimson couches faced each other on a plush rug situated on a redwood floor. A small table sat between the couches. The walls were a cream color, with paintings hung carefully around. The domed ceiling made the room look bigger than it really was, but gave it an airy feeling.

Cole was sitting on one couch with his feet propped up on the table. He was enjoying a light conversation with Nya, who was situated on the other couch. Jay had fallen asleep with his head in Nya's lap, and his body was curled up against her. He was drooling a bit out the side of his mouth. Nya was unconsciously stroking her fingers through Jay's auburn hair.

This was the scene that Garmadon walked into a few minutes later. He looked rather amused when he saw Jay drooling into Nya's lap, but he quickly rearranged his features into a straight face. The moment wasn't lost on Cole, and the ninja of earth grinned at the sensei.

"Hi, Garmadon! We're just catching up on what's been going on. You'll never believe what Nya here had do go through to get in here!" Cole exclaimed, casting a fond glance at the black-haired girl.

"I'm sure it is a thrilling tale," Garmadon said with a grim face. "But we have more pressing matters."

"Like what?" Nya asked, looking concerned.

The sensei sighed. "I have informed you about there being an antidote, have I not?"

Nya gasped, but Cole's eyes lit up. "Yeah Sensei! But... but you said that it would be impossible to find."

"And so I did," Garmadon nodded. "Because it is indeed very rare to find. But there could be a chance that you could find it, with the help of our missing friends."

Nya joined in. "But Sensei, how are we going to find Zane and Lloyd? I thought they were still in the lowest levels of the dungeon?"

Suddenly, Jay groaned in his sleep and all three of them jumped.

"Mmm... Nya..." he muttered. "The... Falcon..."

"J-Jay?" Nya looked worried again. "Are you-"

"Falcon..." he murmured a bit louder, starting to stir in his sleep.

Cole gasped and stared at something behind Nya. A large bang resounded around the room as a bird dropped through the window and landed on Nya's couch.

"The falcon!" Nya and Cole exclaimed in unison. Cole jumped up from his couch and hurried over to the falcon.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were back in Ninjago..." Cole stroked the falcon like Zane used to do, feeling a pain of regret for it. He wasn't sure if the bird actually had feelings for Zane, but he had learned not to underestimate robots.

The falcon gave a caw and jumped onto Jay's sprawled body. The ninja of lightning made a noise rather like a purr, making Nya giggle. The mechanical bird prodded Jay with its beak, motioning for them to wake him up.

Cole shrugged at Nya and started to shake his young friend. "Hey, wake up Jay! The, uh, falcon wants you." He snickered.

Jay was finally starting to wake up, and he swatted at Cole's face. "Ugg... Go away..." he groaned, still attempting to bat Cole away. Finally he opened his eyes and found himself staring straight up into Nya's face.

"WHA- Oh... Hi Nya," he giggled awkwardly, peeling himself away from her.

"Hi Jay," Nya smirked. "Zane's falcon dropped in for a visit. Literally."

Jay yawned, wincing a bit as his chest stretched. "Yeah, I know. Zane told me he'd be coming."

Garmadon, Cole, and Nya stared at him. "What?" Jay exclaimed indignantly. "He's still budging into my dreams!"

Cole rolled his eyes. "All right. So what else did Zane say? Anything important?"

"Mmm..." Jay screwed his eyes up as he tried to remember. "Um... I don't think so... Oh yeah, he said that the falcon would be watching for him so he'd be able to know what we've been up to. I think that's it. Oh hey, by the way, where's Kai? I thought you said that you guys wouldn't leave him alone anymore."

Garmadon nodded. "I locked his door, so he should be safe for now. I wasn't planning on staying too long. I only came to inform the three of you about the antidote."

"There's an antidote?" Jay asked, brightening up. "For, like, my... um..."

"Your impalement ailment?" Cole offered.

"Um... yeah." Jay raised an eyebrow.

Garmadon sighed. "Yes. I have been researching jade blades. According to the books, the blades were forged in the Jade Cavern, which is at the end of a large maze. If we can find the cavern, there are secrets imprinted in the wall. I believe that these secrets will give a clue as to what the antidote is."

"Wait," Jay frowned. "So you're telling us that we have to get to a maze and then somehow get through the maze to get to a cavern and then somehow translate the secrets in the wall and then learn where the antidote is and then we have to find the antidote and somehow-"

"Jayyyy..." Cole groaned. "You're making my head hurt."

"Sorry," Jay grinned, not looking sorry at all.

The four of them jumped as the door flew open and Kai was flung into the room. He ran into Cole and both of them fell down with a thunk. But then Master Chen was suddenly outside the room with a big control panel.

"I'm sorry, but you have all stayed much too long. You are out of the Tournament, and so you should be out of my building. Have fun!" And with that, he pushed a button on his panel. Before the ninja could respond, the floor dropped out. The three ninja, samurai, sensei, and falcon were thrown through the hole and onto a slide, and the next thing they knew, they were sitting outside with nowhere to go.

"You know," Jay sighed. "I really hate buttons."


	10. Chapter 10: Out of This Underworld

**DARK SIDE**

 **Chapter 10:**  
 **Out of This Underworld**  
~ **Electric-Bluejay**

After a rather uncomfortable tumble down the chute, the group untangled themselves from each other. They had talked for awhile on the topic of what to do next, before deciding to find a campsite. They all set off for the foreboding, dense jungle.

The group of five were walking silently until Cole tripped over a tree root and just about fell over. Fortunately for him, Kai caught his arm and steadied him.

"Thanks, Kai," Cole gasped, rubbing his bruised ankle. The red ninja shrugged in reply, but smiled a bit.

They had been walking in a tight formation, with Cole and Kai in the lead, Nya and Jay behind them, and Garmadon watching their backs. After Cole recovered and they started moving again, he could hear Jay groaning softly behind them. Nya was whispering something to her boyfriend, and he was leaning on her shoulder.

Cole longed to listen in on their conversation, but he needed to keep his concentration on getting through the jungle. He sighed inwardly, wondering when they would find a good camp site. It was already late, and the sun would be going down soon. If they didn't find a spot, they would have to deal with thorns and nettles. That was not high on his list of fun.

The ninja of earth decided to start a conversation. It was better than this mind-numbing silence. He turned to Kai, who was plodding along with his head down.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, feeling concerned for the ninja of fire.

Kai took a second to register that Cole was talking to him. "Huh? Oh... yeah... I guess."

"You don't look very fine," Cole raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're all right? Don't lie to me."

The spiky-haired teen sighed. "Really, I'm fine." He made an attempt to smile. "Hey, at least Jay's quiet, right? I never thought I'd HEAR the day when he wasn't talking non-stop!"

Cole smiled a bit and looked behind his shoulder. Nya and Jay had fallen behind a bit, leaving the two ninja to clear a path through the weeds and grass. Then he frowned.

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Haven't you noticed how quiet he's been since he made that last remark?"

Kai wrinkled his brow. "Oh.. I didn't think of that."

"Exactly," Cole lowered his voice. "And I'm starting to get worried about him. This tromping through the jungle is taking a much bigger toll on his strength than it is on any of us. I'm not sure how long he'll last..."

Kai only response was a nod, and they continued along in silence.

Behind the two boys, Nya and Jay were stumbling along. Nya was mostly trying to kick tangling plants away from Jay's legs, which was difficult since Jay was leaning nearly half his weight on her shoulder. He could barely keep up with her, but she couldn't let him rest. She might never get him back up again.

"Jay... you doing okay?" she asked him softly. She had been asking him this every few minutes, if only to keep him going. She knew he would do nearly anything for her.

Usually his only response was a low moan, but this time it didn't look like he had heard her.

"Jay, come on," she said a bit louder. "Talk to me." He still wasn't responding. She turned in front of him to see his face. His eyes were half-closed, and he looked rather pale.

"Jay?" She shook his shoulder, but he took no notice. Nya frowned.

"Cole? Kai? Get back here!" she shouted up to the two teens. They looked around, frowned, and hastily jogged back to the samurai.

"What's up?" Cole asked, before glancing at Jay. Kai sucked in his breath.

Nya looked worried. "He won't take any notice of me... I think something's wrong."

Cole frowned. "Give him to me for a second." Nya was still holding Jay up, but she shouldered him over to Cole, and he picked the pale teen up marriage-style. By now, Garmadon had caught up, and he stood near them warily.

Jay was staring at the sky with his eyes strangely dilated. His face was drained of color, and his auburn hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead. His mouth was hanging open.

"It's like he's in another world..." Kai muttered softly, before realizing how stupid the comment had been. Nya looked scared. They were all thinking the same thing: _Underworld._

"N-no... Jay! Wake up, okay? Jay..." Nya started shaking the unconscious boy rapidly. She looked frightened and angry at the same time. Cole stared at her as she frantically tried to get Jay to wake up.

Finally she stood back with tears in her eyes. "I-I don't know what to do..."

Kai shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "Uh... what if you..."

"What if I.. what?" Nya sniffed, trying not to cry as she stared at Jay's pale face.

"What if you..." Kai grimaced. "You know..." He pointed at his own lips and raised an eyebrow.

Both of Nya's eyebrows went up. "You can't be serious."

Cole had finally figured out what Kai was talking about, and he was smiling bemusedly. "Naw, I think it's a good idea!"

Nya turned her incredulous gaze from Kai to Cole before sighing. "I guess you're right.. Put him down here... And _don't look_ ," she added with a slight growl. Both boys grinned in amusement and turned their eyes away, barely suppressing their laughs. Cole put Jay gently down on a patch of grass before the two teens wandered off. Garmadon rolled his eyes and followed them.

After they had left, Nya turned to her ill boyfriend. "This is for your own good, you know... Now you'd better not enjoy this. Or I might hurt you." She got to her knees beside him and sighed. She put one arm around his back, put her other hand behind his head, and leaned over him. She cast a glance over to the boys to make sure they weren't watching, and smashed her lips onto his.

After a full ten seconds, she pulled away so she could be sure that he could breathe. He still wasn't moving, but a small smile had appeared on his face. Nya giggled in spite of herself and went in for another try. This time she rubbed her fingers along the back of his head, hoping some more contact would wake him up.

After what seemed like a long time, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She stopped kissing him and hugged him tightly.

"Nya...?" he whispered.

She sighed deeply in relief. He was finally in control of himself again.

"Are you alright, Jay? You were a bit out of it..." she whispered, pulling him into a sitting position. "Come here and stand up."

The blue ninja still looked stunned by the kissing, but he allowed her to help him back to his feet. "I-I think I'm... okay... Nya." he stammered, looking into her eyes. "What happened?"

She kissed him on the cheek affectionately. "Nothing, Jay... I love you."


End file.
